Fire destroys west Santa Rosa home, travel trailer, vehicles

Two related Santa Rosa families escaped a fire that erupted early Wednesday morning on their shared West College Avenue property, ripping through their two homes and displacing 10 people.

David Orozco Jr., 32, his wife, two children and his sister, 24, were asleep about 3:30 a.m. in their home when they were startled by the sounds of two small explosions.

“We just heard a little boom and then we woke up,” said Orozco Jr. “And then I stepped outside and saw the fire and was like, ‘Whoa,’ and I called 911. I don’t know how it happened. It just went so fast, it just gave us a chance to get out and that’s pretty much it.”

His brother, Jorge Orozco, and his family evacuated a 30-foot trailer parked adjacent to the engulfed garage. A hole burned into the backside of the trailer and its contents also appeared to be a total loss.

Santa Rosa Fire Battalion Chief Mark Basque arrived first, finding flames throughout the home, and burning the trailer and two vehicles parked in the driveway - a Chevrolet Suburban and antique Chevy pickup.

He called for a second alarm, drawing on additional equipment and a total of 27 firefighters to fight the blaze. It was corralled in about 40 minutes, Basque said. Firefighters couldn’t get inside, so they worked outside, protecting a home just 10 feet away owned and occupied by the brothers’ father, David Orozco Sr.

An overloaded electrical circuit in the garage of the home occupied by Orozco Jr. may be the cause, Basque said. But the investigation into the fire, in the 800 block of West College Avenue, between Clover Drive and Link Lane, is ongoing.

Orozco Jr. and his wife, Gabriela Marquez, 31, and their two young children had packed and stored all of their belongings in the garage for their planned trip Friday to Yuma, Arizona, ahead of a move there this summer.

Those belongings added to the fire’s fuel and the rapid spread, along with a propane tank and a motorcycle with gas in the tank, Basque said.

The Red Cross responded to help with aid, providing money for temporary stay for the families at a hotel.

Basque estimated the loss of the home, trailer, their contents and the vehicles at $400,000.

“No one was hurt, so that’s all material. It comes back,” said Orozco Jr. “Pretty much everything is gone. It’s all junk now. We’re just trying to work with the insurance on how it’s going to go.”

He said he and his family will likely still move to be near other relatives in Yuma come June, after the kids finish the school year. They’ll just do it without any of their belongings, including his antique pickup.

“We’re still shook up. We’re just trying to get our minds straight,” he said. “We’ll get a motel to spend the night tonight and then we’ll see, we’ll go from there. Tomorrow is another day.”

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. Staff Writer Kevin Fixler is available at 707-521-5336 or kevin.fixler@pressdemocrat.com.